Roaming along the Ligurian coastline with Selle Italia

Start

Sestri Levante (Ge)

Finish

Sestri Levante (Ge)

Distance

73 km

Total vertical climb

1.500 m

Maximum altitude

615 m (Passo del Bracco)

Difficulty

Media

A circular itinerary in Eastern Liguria passing in and out of tunnels between one glimpse of the coast and blue skies. Nothing too demanding, but plenty of gratification to be had. What better start could there be to the season? …and what better way to test Selle Italia’s new Flite Superflow?

Off from the fishing town of Sestri Levante in the late morning with the fish fry and Vermentino wine of the previous evening that needed working off, I began the climb to Bracco da Riva Trigosoalong the Aurelia route with gentle slopes that seldom go into double figures.

On the trunk road N. 1 there is very little traffic. Just a randonnée tour and the odd motorbike. Milky-white skies, a dampness to the air and no wind.

Vantage point at Kontiki as well as at Moneglia. When I get to the Tagliamento restaurant, I decide to ride down toward Deiva and start a mixed route that takes me to Framura along the coastline again.

This is where the nice cycle path starts. It was built during the redevelopment work on the old railway tracks and it snakes along the coast through well-lit tunnels and past breath-taking views over little beaches, coves and clifftops that appear out of the blue.

At this stage, my legs are wobbly, but the saddle feels good: no discomfort or sensation of numbness, even though I have ridden shamefully little this year and me and saddle are still strangers to each others.

With its bigger central cut-out relieving pressure in the delicate central zone, the new “superflow” version of the legendary Flite is faultlessly comfortable even during a hard uphill climb.

I sail past Bonassola before getting to Levanto. From there, I am back on the Aurelia again and it is a short uphill ride (another 7 km, but I am on the home run now) before I reach Sestri just in time for lunch. True, it was more of a tour than a race, but this was my first serious outing.

Finally, I look at the computer – 73 km, 1,500 m of vertical climb and over 3 h in the saddle.